van gogh film

http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2655656

I saw this some time back. The link above is to the film that Van Gogh was killed for making. Is it offensive? Not to my western sensibilities. As I am not a Muslim I cannot speak for those that this might be offensive to.

Should you watch it? I think so, if for no other reason, than to see and understand what cost a man his life.

I didn't find it offensive and don't understand why some individual was so incensed by this they felt that Van Gogh had to die for making it. Oh wait, that might be because I am a rational human being.

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Alabama Vote Opens Old Racial Wounds

I mean I know that there are a bunch of ignorant jerkfaces out there who haven't realized that:

a: The War is over. (Yes that war)
b: They lost.

I used to make jokes about it. Then I moved to Richmond. Seriously.

Even there I don't think we would run into this sort of stupidity.

I used to run into people that referred to the war as the "War of Northern Aggression" and looked for books of "Strictly Southern Literature" and other such.. eccentricities. I never cease to be amazed at people.

More in a bit.

Today, I see the post is essentially recycling headlines

Old Divisions Resurface in Ukraine

Racial divisions - old tensions - John Brown is on the loose again.... wait. I haven't had my coffee yet so scratch the John Brown thing.

Part of me is almost comforted by hearing cold war rhetoric again. A few days ago I heard Colin Powell rebuking the Russians for "interfering in the Ukrainian elections" and I was all a tingle with warm fuzzies - maybe it was the Tom Collins I was drinking.

I find it sort of funny that cold war rhetoric is familiar but this new war is still disturbing

But hey "We have always been at war with Eurasia"


right?

Rather to step down

Rather to step down

So, the old guard is set to turn over. No more Brokaw, no more Rather. How interesting.

I wonder how much of an impact the Bush Guard "memos" played in this...

More in a bit.

EDIT: Yeah - So I was set to give Rather the benefit of the doubt, and MAYBE the whole Bush Memo deal has nothing to deal with it. Either way, it doesn't matter.

His diva antics and integrity failures are headed off the air.

Part of me wanted to defend him, and let him have some dignity on the way out. But he didn't play by the rules of the game. Research the allegations, track the story, submit the theories for fact checking and write a fair story. Instead, he didn't actually take the time to actually research the story, verify it's authenticity, you know - Actually be a journalist.

In sort of related news,

Orson Scott Card had an interesting article this week. It deals with (surprise surprise) balanced reporting.

There is a thought - balanced and accurate reporting, a truly impartial third estate.

And while we are dreaming, can I have a pony?

Radio

Have I mentioned that I love Rant Radio? No?

Well, I should have.

Rant Radio and WTOP are the only stations I listen to. That is it. (Well, that and the big band/ swing/ hipster station in LA that my grandfather turned me on to.

(I’m such a nerd)

SO ANYWAY - I wanted a way to listen to some of these things on the go (I love my iPod) and I was thinking I might have to record the streams out to analog and then record them back in, just to circumvent the dreaded copyright restrictions!!! But, I googled [some combination of words] and found this site. Lo and behold, all my troubles seem to be solved. I was pointed toward two programs for my Mac and I shall evaluate them further. I believe that one of them will fulfill my needs. Nifty.

I guess I am a Johnny come lately to this phenomenon of "pod casts". Oh well.

So, because I have stacks of cds, DVDs, Books, and video games I have been looking for a good way to track them. I have tried spreadsheets and other inventory programs, to no avail. Found one that makes me happy though. Delicious Library (sorry kids - Mac OS X only) It is bloody cool. I can key in the ISBN, UPC, EAN, Title, Artist, or Author and it finds the book, cd, video game, movie or whatever and it builds my database of crap.

It also has a cool check out feature so I can track where the items are (if and when I lend them out). Very cool.

In other news,

I tried Starbucks Eggnog Latte today. Not bad, but sort of odd. I think I'll stick with the regular Latte though.

You say tomato...

Shocking Iran Pursuing Nuclear Weapons? Who would have thought? You know, because they have always been so peace loving in the past.

I suppose I should have my coffee before I start commentating in the morning. I am less sarcastic/ caustic after coffee.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

More in a bit. I actually have work to do.

Other stuff - (Politics never ends)

So my little brother and I were talking politics tonight - Always fun. He is a poli-sci major and he makes me fight to argue my points, I do OK though.

We traded political quizes and I am pulling a bunch of articles to send to him.

In other news,

Newsweek is running a story on the Kerry and Bush campaigns.

Some good quotes:

Kerry was both "cranky" and more indecisive than he was portrayed by the media. "I couldn't get the man to make decisions," said former campaign manager Jim Jordan.

Steve Schmidt, the Bush camp's rapid-response chief, has told Newsweek he never dubbed himself Patton, as the magazine reported, or marched through the halls yelling "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

For some reason it cracks me up to think of a Bush campaign staffer running up and down the halls yelling Kill!!!

Maybe it is just me.

More in a bit.

Palestine, Israel and European hypocrisy

Michael Duff has an interesting post over here on why he supports Israel.

The article also addresses the continual lionization of Arafat in the media and how selective their memory is when dealing with him.

Good article.

More in a bit, I need coffee.

Yassar Arafat is dead.

So they just announced that Yassar Arafat is dead.


May God have mercy on his soul.

Heaven

I saw this in a comment/response posted on Livejournal

Heaven... it would be so unknowable as to be utterly foreign and perhaps even terrifying to our eyes

I used to wonder about forever. I think I was always looking beyond the now. Well, since middle school anyway. I have seen things I do not care to explain or understand. I have done things to myself in spiritual ways that were like a never healing wound on my soul.

I have been told over and over by friends that there is no god, that heaven, hell and god are just myths created to control the people. I have had my beliefs ridiculed and I still can't stop believing. Not to be contrary. Far from it.

I used to wonder (many moons ago) if it was just easier to not believe, to not look beyond the temporal. My spiritual upbringing was bent and broken at my own hands and it used to seem easier to just not believe. I couldn't stop. I have never been able to stop. Science tells me things I cannot explain, and I want to be still. But does it explain everything? Not to me.

None of that is relevant. My own inadequacies are not the point.

Lately I have been listening to a person I consider a friend as she struggles with mortality and the impending loss of a dearly loved family member. I want to tell her it will be ok. I don't know how. Words are so inadequate.

Many years ago, I made this choice and I remember reading revelation (of St. John) on a bus back to Virginia and we talked about the end of days and heaven and hell. Since then I have a different understanding of revelation and I think that the picture of heaven presented on that bus was incorrect. While I believe that God loves us – I look at the descriptive words and marvel at their inadequacy.

Awesome – far from being the slang that is has devolved into but rather “Inspiring of Awe”
Great and terrible and wonderful. Beyond my limited comprehension.

Is heaven the realm of Sky Daddy who loves us and wants us to have a picnic in a perfect field under a perfect sky at the perfect temperature where there is no war and no hate and [insert platitude here].

Or is heaven the inadequate word used to describe the state of being with God forever? I think I may/ must be in agreement with the quote above.

I can’t buy that its me and sky daddy just chillin, haven a beer and playing some guitar while we watch the boy (and girl) play in the fields of green. That sounds like a perfect day on earth, but is that forever?

This is all irrelevant. It is of no comfort to anyone.

Another firend recomended a sermon was dead on. We all want to be Jesus to someone. We (or at least I) want to say it’s ok and magically, have it be ok. How eye opening.

It is ok. I am probably wrong. I usually am.

Moron.

So I saw this when I opened my computer today.

Pardon me for speaking ill of the dead - but what sort of mentally damaged individual thinks that killing themselves because Bush won the election could in anyway be construed as a good idea?

Oh, what do I know?

Obviously it is an excellent idea to "protest" this election by blowing your head off at the WTC - 'cause you know, one more person's blood is exactly what that ground needed.

People continue to amaze me with their stupidity.

New thoughts on why the left can't seem to win an election.

I was reading Andrew Sullivan's blog this morning and he pointed out this article in the NY times.

This quote seems to sum up the article (for me at least)

But the same insularity that caused many liberals to lose touch with the rest of the country now causes them to simplify, misunderstand and condescend to the people who voted for Bush. If you want to understand why Democrats keep losing elections, just listen to some coastal and university town liberals talk about how conformist and intolerant people in Red America are. It makes you wonder: why is it that people who are completely closed-minded talk endlessly about how open-minded they are?

More in a bit.


Addendum: It seems to me that the reasoning in this article is a more better explanation the voter fraud, Diebold promising the election to Bush, or any number of conspiracy theories I have seen floating around since Wednesday. Just a thought.

Neil Gaiman. Funny guy.

I NEEDED to share this.

Neil Gaiman at the LOC Bookfest

Fantastic. If you have a half hour for the funny go watch it.

Now I go write.

So yeah.

So I voted this morning. It was painless and worked out well. I was in and out in under 15 minutes.

I also started writing for NaNoWriMo yesterday. I got to about 1543 words before I fell asleep last night. That is a bit short of the 1667 I need to get a day to make 50,000 by Nov. 30. Hmmm


I'm off to work on book/scripts/Japanese/Work.

more in a bit.

Oh Boy

Oh Wait. NaNoWriMo starts today. Maybe I should start writing. I mean it is only 1667 words a day for 30 days. 50,000 words in a month. Sucker bet. No problems.

I can do that...

Right?

To quote Sam Beckett (from Quantum Leap)

"Oh Boy"